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Are there any guidelines as far as modeling goes when wanting to 3D print? My boss and I are thinking of doing some 3D sculptures and we are going to us Blender to model them. Do we need a certain file type, does the model need to be in pieces, etc?

Currently taking commissions, info is available on my website listed below.

Are there any guidelines as far as modeling goes when wanting to 3D print? My boss and I are thinking of doing some 3D sculptures and we are going to us Blender to model them. Do we need a certain file type, does the model need to be in pieces, etc?

The file format should be STL. The geometry of the models must be closed. The model would not have to come in pieces unless you want to add moving parts. Other then that it is pretty straight forward 3D modeling an exporting to STL.

Here is another concept figure. It has fever joints then the others but is actually the most fun to pose. It is the first time I used a double jointed knee. I always thought double jointed knees and elbows looked weird but it does allow for a nice range of movement. I also gave this figure a split torso so the head, shoulder and pelvis joints are actually held in place by the two torso halfes rather then just being plugged into the torso. A split torso with seams was another thing I thought might not look good but the seams can be hidden quite nicely. All in all I think this figure has the best ratio of articulation and sturdiness.

Here is a painted version of the alien cyborg. I am really happy how he turned out. The roughness of the print works quite well for the worn down bionics and the alien skin. The paintjob also does not get in the way of posing him. I hope to make more figures like him in the future.

My first figure based on the Alien Cyborg template. He is called Alien Enforcer. He is a combination of all new parts like the head and redecorated parts like for example the legs. All in all I am quite happy with him.

This is the Alien Assassin, my second figure based on the Alien Cyborg template. As with the Alien Enforcer he is a combination of new parts and redecorated parts.

I always loved human-tank-cyborgs like the Mandroid from the movie Eliminators or the Beast Machines from Power Lords. This is my own version of the human-tank concept. He also uses the Alien Cyborg body as a template but in this case a lot of new parts had to be made.

Since all the figures based on the Alien Cyborg body use the same joints as template it is possible to swap parts. For example you can use an alien body on the tank part of the Human Tank character.

Very impressive...and I don't impress easily. The figs in the diorama truly rock.

Originally Posted by hauke

Since many people wanted to see what a painted figure looks like. So I went ahead and painted one. Unfortunately once painted the build lines are much more visible on the figure. I had to put on quite a thick layer of paint to get rid of them. I may print the figure on a better printer one day and give it another paint job. The joints all still work as does the storage of the weapons. Although there is some paint scrapping once you remove the weapons a couple of times.http://fc00.deviantart.net/fs70/i/20...00-d69zn9m.jpg

This is great! There has been so much to offer with 3d printing such as ; prosthetic limbs made cheaper for people, to very expensive small plastic car parts. These figures you have created look great, can't wait to see more.

This is a figure I did for a client. He wanted a cartoon version of a military bomb suit soldier. The figure has 7 points of articulation and two heads. I created everything except for the mortar shell which was provided by the client as a 3D file. The figure is 6 inches tall.

This guy is called Steracorilla because well he is a mix of a styracosaurus, a stegosaurus and a gorilla. He was basically an experiment to see how I could give my box modeled action figures a little bit more texture using Zbrush. Therefore I made the base model in Softimage using traditional modeling tools. I then exported the files to Zbrush and masked off the parts that would have to stay smooth in order to make the joints work. The other parts got a rough surface using Zbrush brushes. The figure was then exported as STL file and finalized in Netfabb. The textures showed up fine after the print even on my Mojo printer that does not have a super high resolution. Especially once I painted the model the skin textures looked quite nice. I will continue to use Zbrush in the future to add fine detail like skin textures or scratches.

This guy is called Steracorilla because well he is a mix of a styracosaurus, a stegosaurus and a gorilla. He was basically an experiment to see how I could give my box modeled action figures a little bit more texture using Zbrush. Therefore I made the base model in Softimage using traditional modeling tools. I then exported the files to Zbrush and masked off the parts that would have to stay smooth in order to make the joints work. The other parts got a rough surface using Zbrush brushes. The figure was then exported as STL file and finalized in Netfabb. The textures showed up fine after the print even on my Mojo printer that does not have a super high resolution. Especially once I painted the model the skin textures looked quite nice. I will continue to use Zbrush in the future to add fine detail like skin textures or scratches.

This guy is called Steracorilla because well he is a mix of a styracosaurus, a stegosaurus and a gorilla. He was basically an experiment to see how I could give my box modeled action figures a little bit more texture using Zbrush. Therefore I made the base model in Softimage using traditional modeling tools. I then exported the files to Zbrush and masked off the parts that would have to stay smooth in order to make the joints work. The other parts got a rough surface using Zbrush brushes. The figure was then exported as STL file and finalized in Netfabb. The textures showed up fine after the print even on my Mojo printer that does not have a super high resolution. Especially once I painted the model the skin textures looked quite nice. I will continue to use Zbrush in the future to add fine detail like skin textures or scratches.

I am rather excited about the implications for gaming miniatures - not that I could afford a 3D printer at this point but I do like to paint them and this could be a new way to produce your own designs without having to smelt and cast metal